


The Fallen

by JadeRock



Series: The Divine [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: 3racha are roommates, Angst, Fluff, Han Jisung | Han is Whipped, How Do I Tag, I'm Bad At Tagging, Lee Minho | Lee Know is Whipped, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22215232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadeRock/pseuds/JadeRock
Summary: Nineteen years ago, The Fallen came. Creatures that were so alike to humans in almost every way that it was almost terrifying. No one knew of their original aim, but now? Now they’ve been labelled as heartless creatures that murder humans at will. A simple locking of the eyes could be the cause of your death.Han Jisung had always had an unhealthy interest in The Fallen, much to the chagrin of his friends. Enter Lee Minho, a mysterious boy who holds more secrets than truths - a boy that Jisung feels like he was always meant to meet. Even if it may spell his doom.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Series: The Divine [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1599145
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	The Fallen

Minho hadn’t been there long, but he was already feeling the serenity of the atmosphere. It was the first time he had gotten the chance to do this; sitting on a small hill, staring up at the clouds, at the birds flying by. The city he was moving into was quite pretty, in fact. A vast expanse of woodland and meadow bordered it on one side and on the other, the land tapered off into the ocean. He was so lucky that this was the city that he got to come to.

There were probably more important things he should have been doing at that time — like finding somewhere to live, that wasn’t some crummy motel — but that could wait for a day or so while he just sat and felt the warmth of the sun on his skin.

Minho closed his eyes and just breathed in the world around him. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, but from the sun's position in the sky he thought his first few hours there had been well spent—

“Uhh...excuse me? Mister?” 

Minho’s eyes flicked open at the quiet address to him. Sitting up, he turned to see a small-framed boy standing gingerly a few feet away from him, rubbing his arm awkwardly as he waited for a response. 

Humming in acknowledgement, Minho tilted his head for the boy to continue. He leant back on his hands, offering a small smile to try and ease the nervous energy around them. It seemed to partly do the trick, at least, since he let his arms fall idle at his sides.

“I’m sorry for bothering you but—I’ve managed to get myself lost...and my phone’s out of charge. Would you be able to possibly…point me in the direction to get out of here?” As the other spoke, a purple butterfly fluttered in front of his nose, distracting him momentarily and making him go slightly cross-eyed. 

It made Minho chuckle lightly as he rose to his feet. He wouldn’t usually do this but something about the boy intrigued him, “Come on, I’ll walk you there, it’s getting dark.” It took a moment, but the other joined his side to walk with him, “I’m Minho by the way.”

“Oh, uh, thank you.” He stammered quietly, “And my name’s Jisung.”

Personally, Minho thought the silence that ensued after that wasn’t awkward. It let the sounds of birds and the gentle flourish of wind really chime through. He found it—relaxing, stuffing his hands in his pockets and taking the time to admire the surroundings. On the other hand, glancing sideways to Jisung, he appeared to be much less comfortable. Eyes fixed on the ground and nervously twisting the rings on his fingers.

Since the other wasn’t looking at him, Minho took a moment to admire Jisung’s aura again, up close now. It had immediately stood out to Minho when he first saw him. His aura wasn’t like most others. Instead of a dull mist that swirled around the individual, Jisung’s was more of a glow, emanating from him as if he was some sort of light. Not only that but the multiple colours was so out-of-the-ordinary. Usually, a human would have one — possibly two — colours blended into their aura. Somehow, Jisung’s was shimmering and flickering like the effect the sun has on water in a pool. The main body of it was a bright white but it had undertones of all the other colours in the spectrum.

He’d never seen anything like it. He wasn’t even sure he knew exactly what it meant. But he was sure that he wanted to try and get to know Jisung to find out. 

“Uh, Minho?” 

Minho’s eyes flicked up to meet Jisung’s. Oops, he was...definitely just caught staring, “Sorry, I kinda spaced out there,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I really like your hoodie. It looks cute on you.”

_Yes_ , it was just a cover-up, but now that he mentioned it, Jisung did actually look incredibly soft and cozy in his green, oversized hoodie.

Following his compliment, Jisung muttered a small _‘thank you’_ and promptly pulled the hood up over his head until Minho could only see the slope of his nose and his fluffy bangs from his side profile (which Minho didn’t realise the point of was to hide his flushed cheeks). He almost cooed at the awkward way the other took a compliment but he managed to restrain himself.

At that point they were just about nearing the line of trees that opened out to the road. During their walk, the sun continued to set. Golden hour was no more and the lamps that lined the streets were starting to flicker on as they got closer.

“Well, I’m heading that way.” Minho gestured to the right turn at the junction, looking at Jisung with silent hope. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet. 

The universe must have heard his wish as Jisung confirmed he was travelling in the same direction, “My apartment is near the university.” Minho hadn’t really been around the city much so he wasn’t sure _where_ the university was but he hummed in response anyway.

“Do you go to the university?” Minho asked. 

Jisung nodded, “I’m in my senior year of studying astronomy. I just—absolutely love stars and space, I find it fascinating. What do you think?” Minho nodded in agreement and Jisung set off explaining all the reasons he loved learning about space and somehow, that caused his aura to glow just a little brighter. It was ironic really. Jisung, gushing about his love of space to someone created among the stars. If only he knew.

The time came all too soon, but Jisung slowed his pace to a halt at a building front. Minho glanced up at the apartment complex for a moment, “This you?”

“Yep.” A couple of beats passed with just the two boys looking at each other. A small smile began to form on Minho’s face, “Do you have far to go? It’s quite dark now…”

Minho looked off into the distance down the road, “Uh, just a five or ten minute walk from here. I’m staying at the motel down there.” As he looked back at Jisung, a small smirk played on his lips, “What if, you give me your number and I’ll text you when I’m home safe?”

Seeing Jisung face-on now, the hood did nothing to cover the faint blush on his cheeks, “Is this just a ploy to get my number?”

“Oh definitely.” Minho opened his phone and held it out to Jisung with a new contact open, “You can’t say you weren’t leading up to it yourself, though.” Once Jisung had taken his phone, Minho could see the precise moment he’d noticed that he’d had set his contact name to ‘ _Jisungie (ᵔᴥᵔ)_ ’ as the blush on his cheeks deepened while he tried to retreat further into his hoodie.

Jisung handed Minho’s phone back and he slid it safely back into his pocket, “I’ll see you around, Jisung. Have a good evening.” Minho shot him one more smile before spinning on his heel to make his way down the street, “And remember to charge your phone!” He called over his shoulder. 

After watching Minho turn the corner, Jisung finally entered his apartment building. The elevator was out of service at the moment so he had to take the stairs up to the third floor, which wasn’t really that bad, Jisung was just feeling tired that night.

The apartment was dark and empty when he went in. Chan was probably at the studio — and would likely stay there until late into the night — while Changbin was staying with Felix till tomorrow. So, it was just him for the time being.

First things first, Jisung went to his room and plugged his phone in, leaving it on his bed while he went to make dinner. By ‘making dinner’ he meant sticking an amalgamation of all the leftover takeaway dishes they had in the fridge into the microwave. It was probably filled with grease but it tasted good nonetheless. Plus, Jisung’s skill level when it came to cooking didn’t really allow for much more. How he had survived the last three years as an adult was practically all down to his roommates.

When he got back to his room, he bundled himself up in a blanket. His phone had been charged enough to turn back on but after ten minutes, there still wasn’t a text from Minho. 

He typed his number in correctly, right? Surely. Jisung did read over it before handing the phone back. Maybe Minho was just settling down and making his own thrown-together dinner. There was nothing to worry about, he convinced himself, it hadn’t been too long.

Another ten minutes passed before Jisung was finally able to release all of his anxiety that had been building up. It dissipated so quickly after his screen lit up and he read the simple text from the unknown number.

‘ _I’m home, Jisungie. ~ Minho_ ’

Jisung smiled to himself. His original fears, from when he was considering asking for directions, of Minho being some creepy guy who would murder him in the middle of that meadow thankfully seemed to be misplaced. 

Another message from Minho popped up as Jisung was saving his number, explaining he had to stop by the convenience store to get some dinner, which is why he took longer. He apologised for if he made him worry and Jisung’s heart swelled a little.

The next half-hour or so was spent exchanging many messages. Starting off with basic introductions, it soon evolved into a random conversation that had Jisung practically beaming at his phone, hands tingling a little from the rush of adrenaline he felt. 

Inevitably, Jisung could feel a stomach ache coming on. The result of all that leftover grease he supposed. In an attempt to lessen the discomfort, Jisung, in his cozy blanket burrito, curled up into himself, knees pressed close to his chest. If Chan were there, he’d probably warn him that that would make his indigestion worse, but Jisung was in need of some instant relief so he could relax after the long day he’d had.

Despite all the layers, Jisung still shivered. Sure, he could get up and turn the heating up a bit but that would mean he’d lose all the warmth he’d already accumulated. Luckily, though, with one more adjustment to his duvet, Jisung managed to block out all the openings letting the cold air creep in, allowing him to be able to finally savour the pocket of warmth he’d created. 

It wasn’t long after that that sleep started to pull at Jisung’s eyelids. He’d barely moved a muscle in the last ten minutes and his body took that as a sign he wanted to sleep. His responses to Minho’s messages became more staggered and intermittent as he kept closing his eyes for _just a second_. When the pull became too strong, Jisung quickly succumbed to the sleep that washed over him. His phone slipped out of his hand onto the mattress, the buzz of which was no longer strong enough to snap him out of his slumber.

——————

Jisung groaned, inhaling deeply when he was moved. At first, he refused to open his eyes, hoping he could fall back asleep and ignore the disturbance but hearing a small sob alerted him enough to look up. 

Pouring over him was Chan. Jisung’s eyes searched his face desperately for any hint of what happened, “Chan? Chan, what’s wrong?” He pushed himself to sit up, concern lacing his tone. Chan just pulled him closer, wrapping his arms tighter around Jisung. His eyes were red and tears were streaming down his cheeks, “...Chan?” Jisung asked again, hesitantly. With one arm, he reached around Chan to hug him while with the other he used the hem of the sleeve to gently wipe his cheeks.

Chan looked up into his eyes for the first time now and wet his chapped lips with his tongue before speaking, “I was so worried. I thought we might have lost you…” He managed to croak out in barely a whisper. Jisung’s confused expression was followed by Chan slowly standing up and pulling Jisung out of the room. 

It was still dark outside, he noticed as they entered the living room. Chan held Jisung’s hand tightly so Jisung squeezed his to show he was still with him. As Chan was looking for the remote, he started talking again, “They found a body...near the university, not far from here.” Once he found the remote he turned the TV on and changed it to the news channel. At the headline written along the bottom of the screen, Jisung immediately understood.

‘ _The body of a male university student was found on the outskirts of the campus just over an hour ago._

_Injuries sustained coincide with those recorded in relation to attacks of The Fallen, who we are now led to believe have finally infiltrated our city._

_In light of this news, we implore you to stay alert. Be wary of eye contact and if you see anything suspicious, contact the authorities…_ ’

The news continued on but Jisung phased it out into the background. Just pulling Chan into his arms and holding him close, rubbing small circles onto his back to try and soothe the choked sobs coming out of him.

Everyone knew of The Fallen. For the past nineteen years or so they’ve been slowly sweeping each city, every village, every town. Killing at seemingly random rates. There was no pattern to the deaths that occurred and no way to stop it other than avoidance. Even that seemed futile, though. A couple of months ago, in another city, a few of the wealthy households thought they could escape this fate by going into hiding. Yet they were still found…

Those that escaped after watching their loved ones suffer, shared their stories. 

It was always a different figure. Some described a man and some described a woman. At first, people were worried that the events were all related to some sort of serial killer cult, but it was when it was uncovered exactly _how_ they killed their prey that the thought of them not being human surfaced. They never held any weapons; all they needed was their eyes. As soon as their eyes locked with their victim’s, they held some irreversible power over them. No one had ever survived it.

Chan had gone through it once before — a high school friend in Australia. Jisung hoped it wouldn't ever happen again…not to him, especially.

He was so depressed when Jisung and Changbin had first met him in Korea. Despite their best efforts to make Chan feel safe with them, it still took him a couple of months to properly warm up to them and finally divulge his past. But, since then, they’d all moved on to happier times. Together. 

They wouldn’t be anywhere without each other. 

Mutually, Chan and Jisung let go of each other, just for a second. Jisung changed the channel then turned the TV off altogether before the news story could repeat itself while Chan shakily texted Changbin to confirm everyone was okay and safe. 

Jisung gazed over to the door to his room, he could see his phone still sitting there, lighting up once before the screen flickered back to black. He turned to Chan, tried to apologise for not answering the many messages that Jisung just knew the older had sent him in his panic. Chan was quick to shush him, assuring him it was fine and he was glad he was resting. Though, Jisung wished he hadn’t been. Then he might have been able to prevent Chan’s anxiety from resurfacing, could’ve stopped him from having to leave his work early just for him. 

Chan softly kissed the top of Jisung’s head, pulling him out of his thoughts so they could resume holding each other, laying back on the couch with Chan’s head resting on his chest over his heart. Jisung’s arm wrapped securely around him. _I've got you_ , it spoke wordlessly. 

Eventually, Chan’s breathing evened out as the beat of Jisung’s heart lulled him to sleep. With the drooping of Chan’s eyes, Jisung finally allowed himself to drift off too.

——————

The two slept late into Saturday morning. All the way until Changbin came home. Seeing them cuddled up on the couch brought a relaxed smile to his face. _Everything is okay_ , he thought, repeating it like a mantra in his mind.

Not rushing at all to advance in the morning, Changbin flitted around the apartment as light-footed as he could, as not to wake them before necessary. He dropped his bag off in his room then started pulling something together for their breakfast. It had been too long since any of them had woken up to that sweet smell of a pancakes on the stove. Right now it might be just what they needed.

Once the food was cooked, the pair were still out like logs on the couch. Reluctantly, Changbin crouched in front of the couch to wake them up. He didn’t want the food to get cold after all.

“Ji, Channie, wake up.” He beckoned softly, “Breakfast is ready.” Changbin chuckled at how neither responded to their name, but just at the mention of food, both pairs of eyes practically shot open. After ruffling Jisung’s hair, he went to collect the plates. They’d eat on the couch today, add a little more comfort to their morning. 

Breakfast passed by smoothly, both boys thanking Changbin then working together to wash up and put away the dishes, singing along to the radio in the meantime. The rest of the day continued much the same. It was decided that they’d stay in the whole time (which turned out to be a good idea since the weather did a one-eighty just after lunch and started pouring with rain) and played some long-neglected board games together. 

If it was even possible at that point, it seemed like they bonded further over the course of the day. They found comfort together in their small apartment. To some it might have seemed _too_ small. To them, they could only describe it as _cozy_.

A little after lunchtime, Changbin amusedly watched Jisung just smiling at his phone for a good five minutes, “Yah, Jisung, you fell down a cat video rabbit hole again?” He asked, once it was clear Jisung had become almost completely oblivious to everything else around him. It wasn’t unusual for Jisung to be smiling ninety percent of the time most days but this expression hinted at there being something more to it this time.

Jisung’s head perked up at the mention of his name, scanning the area until his gaze fell on Changbin, evidently filled with mirth, “Huh? Oh, no.” A raising of the brow prompted him to continue. After a pause, he added, “I met a guy yesterday…” Jisung had hardly finished his sentence before Changbin was grabbing at Chan’s sleeve in the kitchen and pulling him to sit opposite Jisung on the living room floor.

“Tell us about him!” The two chorused together.

So, Jisung recounted the story of the night before, accidentally gushing extensively about how pretty Minho’s eyes were, among other things. Including all the excruciatingly unnecessary details that Chan and Changbin probably didn’t care for like how the streetlamps cast shadows of his eyelashes on his cheeks, allowing Jisung to admire how long and voluminous they were. Halfway through his rant, he froze, realising he’d _literally_ been talking about Minho for a good ten minutes already. How was he so unbelievably whipped after not even a day? 

Defeatedly, Jisung withdrew, throwing his arms dramatically in the air before flopping onto his back, “Not only is he pretty, but he’s _funny_ , too! And he called me cute!!” Expecting Chan and Changbin to without-a-doubt tease him for all of this, Jisung prepared for the attack by pulling harshly on the drawstrings of his hoodie till it was bunched up enough to cover his cheeks (that had progressively become more rosy the longer he talked for).

Changbin shared a knowing look with Chan, _this is different_. Jisung was usually one to be quite non-committal or hesitant when it came to relationships. The fact that Jisung sounded so undoubtedly head-over-heels for this guy already, intrigued the two older greatly.

“Sungie, he sounds really nice, we’re happy for you.” Chan spoke first, laying down beside Jisung and turning onto his side to face him. 

Changbin mirrored him on Jisung’s other side, reaching out to carefully unravel his hoodie hood incase he suffocated or something, “One thing you forgot to mention though, Ji.”

“What’s that?”

“His name.”

With that, Jisung seemed to have reached peak embarrassment. His squirrel-like cheeks had amounted to a new level of deep blush and he refused to say another word. Instead, he hastily got to his feet and retreated to his room. It wouldn’t protect him for long, but the other two had the decency to at least give him a few moments before they bombarded him with questions again.

——————

The next time Minho saw Jisung was in fact an accident, a happy accident at that (although, he _was_ going to ask the other to go out somewhere the next day). It was at a cafe closer to the centre of the city, one highly recommended by the receptionist at his motel who said it was both good-enough quality _and_ cheap. That middle point that was so rare that he’d take it any day, even if he had to travel a while to get there.

Anyway, he ordered a latte and sat at a table by the window, which he managed to snag just as a couple were leaving. The universe did seem to be looking out for him today. 

Since he had nothing better to do Minho thought he ought to use his free time wisely and start looking for an apartment to rent (maybe one near this cafe if he could). The quality of his motel room really reflected the nightly fee he had to pay…he wasn’t going to complain though. All he really needed was a simple apartment that could shelter him while he was in the city, which he didn’t foresee to be for a particularly long time.

While he was in the middle of scrolling through the description of a small, one-bedroom apartment in the eastern part of the city an almost familiar light approached his table.

“Minho? Hi!” His neutral expression instantly lit up when he saw Jisung standing there. Damn, he was so attached already. Just as Minho was about to answer, two other males walked up to stand with Jisung. His eyes shift between them for a second — they seemed to both be looking at something over his shoulder — but he didn’t drop his cheerful demeanour.

“Hey Jisungie.” They exchanged a soft smile for a beat before Minho glanced around the room. There weren't really any tables left big enough for them to sit at, “Are you guys going anywhere? If not, you could sit here with me. We can just pull up a couple more chairs.”

Jisung nodded eagerly, looking hopefully at the other two who smiled and went to scout out two more chairs after setting their drinks down on the table. Happily, Jisung sat down on the chair opposite Minho with his drink, an americano, and a chocolate chip cookie. His fingers curled around his cup, he still had his coat on even though they were inside.

“Are your hands cold?” Minho asked. It was followed by a small nod so Minho touched the back of his own hands to his cheek before casually reaching over the table, encasing Jisung’s hands in his, “Mine are warm, allow me.” The contact caused Jisung’s mouth to form a small ‘o’ shape as his cheeks reddened.

The two friends came back at that point with a chair each and sat down, mirthful eyes watching Jisung fondly.

Once they’d both settled, Minho tilted his head, “I assume you two are Chan and Changbin?” Both of them seemed a little taken aback that he already knew about them, it was amusing.

“Do you gossip about us with everyone you meet, Ji?” One of them spoke, sounding mildly offended.

“Well, I can’t exactly complain to _you_ about your whining when I was destroying you both in uno, can I?” Jisung mischievously levelled his gaze with theirs as he lifted his mug to take a sip. Minho hadn’t seen this side of him yet, his sly, quipping nature previously hidden behind his apparent soft, wide-eyed bushy-tailed kind of demeanour.

Minho picked his phone back up from the table and took a look at his messages with Jisung, coughing to clear his throat, “I quote, ‘Oh, they’re my best friends _slash_ roommates and basically the most amazing people I’ve ever met. I’—“ A swift, unrestrained kick met with his shin under the table and when Minho looked up at Jisung, he was met with such a cold glare that it caused a chill to travel down his spine. 

“That’s enough, Minho.” He said through gritted teeth, but Minho, being the chaotic being he was, tilted himself and his phone to continue showing Chan and Changbin all the lovely things Jisung had said about them, “Oh my—, Minho! I thought you’d be on my side, you traitor!”

Ignoring the accusations that were coming from the other side of the table, Minho continued to scroll through, “Oh, this is cute, here’s what he said just this morning—“

Jisung practically leapt out of his chair, reaching over to Minho’s phone and taking it, “I said _,_ that is _enough_.” He spoke again with more bite.

But the damage had already been done.

“Sungie you _do_ love us! All those years of false hatred, finally over now we know how you truly feel.” Both boys stood up and proceeded to pull Jisung into one bone-crushing hug, smothering him in affection. He stared right past them, unblinking, at Minho as if to say ‘ _look what you did_ ’. 

Minho shook his head with a breathy laugh as the other two finally unlatched themselves from Jisung, “Okay okay, back to the original topic. I know your names, but I’m not sure who’s who?”

“Changbin is the short, buff, demon child and Chan is the taller, Australian one.” Jisung answered without missing a beat before taking a bite of his cookie.

“I'm going to let those insults slide just because I know your true feelings towards me now.” The one who Minho now knew as Changbin spoke. Jisung was right though, he was pretty short, but in an endearing way. His feet only just grazed the ground while he was sitting down.

The four of them chatted amongst themselves until all their drinks were gone. The cafe was much less busy now, rush hour having ended a long time ago. Minho enjoyed how, even though it was his first time meeting them, Chan and Changbin still acted almost as warmly towards him as they did to Jisung. It wasn’t a group of three sitting with someone else, it was a group of four. As if they’d planned to meet up all along.

Soon after, they decided to leave and make the journey back to their corner of the city. The cold air hit them hard the second they opened the door, making Minho’s hair stand on end. He subconsciously turned to Jisung as they exited and fixed the scarf around his neck to make sure he was wrapped up warmly, pulled his hood over his head to keep his ears warm and helped his already cold and shaking hands to zip up his coat. Minho had observed from their two encounters that Jisung felt the cold quite easily, wearing thick layers will Minho was just fine in a shirt and maybe a thing jacket, so he didn’t want Jisung getting ill.

The pair had come to a stop in the middle of the pavement while they sorted Jisung out. Chan and Changbin, a few steps ahead, had stopped and were watching the whole ordeal with wide but hopeful eyes. When Minho looked over, they averted their eyes but the smiles stayed put.

Jisung himself looked to be rendered completely speechless but he still managed to hold Minho’s hand back when he’d laced their fingers together before they started to walk again, “Are you warm enough?” Minho asked and Jisung only let out a hum in return.

As they reached a patch of wider pavement, Changbin and Chan slowed until they were walking either side of Minho and Jisung, “So, when will we be parting ways? Do you live near here?” 

“Ah no, I actually just came to this city so I’m staying at a motel for the moment. It’s not too far from your apartment so I’ll walk you guys home first.”

Chan smiled softly down at the ground, “Where’d you move from?”

Minho bit his lip ever so slightly, “I used to live in Gimpo. Moved here because I wanted a fresh start.” 

“Oh, that’s cool. I hope you find your way here.” Chan smiled again but this time it seemed a little forced as it didn’t reach his eyes. Did Minho say something wrong? After that, Chan and Changbin slowed their pace to walk behind them when the pavement narrowed again. 

“Speaking of, Jisung?” The younger turned his head to face him, having recovered slightly from earlier he responded with a quiet ‘ _yeah?_ ’, “I was looking at apartments to rent earlier and saw there was one open in your complex. I was wondering if you’d mind if I applied for it?”

It looked like Jisung’s eyes started to sparkle following the question, “Not at all! That would be kind of great actually. Why would you think I’d mind?” Jisung was now holding Minho’s hand with both of his, whether he meant to or not. His skin was still cold but Minho wasn’t one to mind.

“Oh, I don’t know. Just, if you would be uncomfortable with it then I wouldn’t.”

Jisung’s lips fell open slightly as he stared into Minho’s eyes and saw nothing but sincerity. His heart stuttered, threatening to burst at how much adoration he felt at that moment. It had been three days and he was already so far gone for Minho. Everything he did pulled Jisung closer to it. He would have kissed him right then if he hadn’t been semi-aware that Chan and Changbin were behind them, watching.

There he was again in that state of speechlessness. He couldn’t imagine anyone from his past relationships caring about him that much. It felt so nice… 

Ending up settling just with his head resting on Minho’s shoulder, that is how they spent the rest of the walk home. At some point, Minho had let go of Jisung’s hand to instead wrap his arm around his waist, needing to hold him closer. Jisung felt safe, like he was meant to be there and it brought a content smile to his face

It took about fifteen more minutes of walking for them to reach the apartment complex, which, sadly, meant time to say goodbye. Minho gently pulled Jisung to stand in front of him, taking a moment to brush his bangs out of his eyes, “Alright Jisungie.”

“It was nice seeing you again today.” Jisung looked up at him. He seemed to subconsciously seek out the warmth of Minho’s hands because, as they were talking, Jisung just kept fiddling with his fingers mindlessly. They were both avoiding saying goodbye and they knew it. But they weren’t in any rush.

“I’ll see you again real soon, yeah?”

“Yeah, next time we’ll plan something nice.”

“Stay safe. And keep warm. Make sure—“ The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted their prolonged send-off, prompting Minho to break the loop, “Right, goodbye Jisungie.” Minho leant forward and left him with a kiss planted on his forehead.

Jisung and him finally parted then. Changbin smiled and unlocked the door, sending Jisung inside, “Go on up, Ji. Me and Chan just want to talk to Minho for a second.”

Minho raised his eyebrows in curiosity, hearing a loud groan from Jisung, “I _swear_ , if this is the ‘older brother’ chat, I will lock you out of the apartment.” The other two didn’t confirm or deny, which gave Minho the impression that it was, in fact, that kind of chat. When they turned back around to face Minho, Jisung rolled his eyes dramatically, “If you’re not up here in the next five minutes, I’ll have no other choice but to make dinner, I’m starving.”

Minho furrowed his brow confused about the ‘threat’, but the others seemed to know exactly what Jisung meant since an involuntary shiver ran through both of them instantly, “For the love of god, please don’t try and cook _ever again_.” 

Jisung smirked before he disappeared, running up the stairs. Chan and Changbin’s faces turned more serious at Minho after that. Changbin was the one to speak first, “Alright, first of all, we approve of you dating Jisung.”

Minho almost choked on his spit before recollecting himself, “That was very...to-the-point.”

Chan continued on for him, “And secondly, of course, if you hurt him _whatsoever_ , you’ll have to answer to us,” a small smirk grew on his lips, “and we both go to the gym six times a week.” Minho could tell they weren’t lying about that part from the way they held themselves. Even though they were both shorter than him (especially Changbin), their stances suggested that they were undoubtedly capable of kicking his ass. Not only that, but Minho was pretty sure that he could see the definition of Changbin’s bicep _through his coat_. 

He gulped slightly but managed to hold his ground even as the two of them moved away from the wall to take a step closer, “I wouldn’t dream of it. And I totally give you permission to hit me if I hurt him at all, because I’d deserve it… He literally deserves only the best. So I’m going to try and be that for him.”

Satisfied with his answer, Chan smiled and backed off, tough persona melting away as soon as he let his hands get enveloped in sweater paws. 

“I actually really like him, a lot. I know it must sound silly, I only met him the other day, after all, but I just feel like—like he could be my _soulmate_.” Minho looked up at them, biting his lip when he saw their raised eyebrows, “Damn, I’m coming off way too strong aren’t I?” A light but nervous chuckle escaped him, “Growing up I’ve always felt strongly and deeply about things, so, it just hasn’t taken me much time to...fall in love.”

Chan and Changbin’s mouths were hanging open, evidently slightly dumbstruck from the revelation Minho had divulged. After a few seconds of silence, Minho stuffed his hands into his pocket not knowing what else to do with them. His eyes narrowed when they felt empty of his phone. A moment or two went by with him checking his other pockets before he remembered, “Jisung...he still has my phone.” He closed his eyes and let out a small sigh of defeat.

“Oh, I can bet you he kept it on purpose.” Changbin’s laugh sounded out loudly before Chan hit his arm lightly, “Do you want to come up and get it back? You can stay for dinner too if you’d like, I’m sure Jisung would love it.”

“That sounds lovely, thank you.” Minho accepted graciously, smiling, “Now, let's quickly get up there before Jisung burns the kitchen down.” He joked before he was hastily shown into the building and up the stairs to their apartment, number twenty-three on the third floor.

“Thank you, by the way.” Changbin started, “Sorry for confronting you so suddenly, it’s just...well, Jisung hasn’t been the luckiest with his past relationships. We just wanted to make sure you...”

Minho smiled softly to himself, “Don’t worry, I completely understand. You guys are really good friends, you know. I’m glad he has you both.” The two boys turned a little soft at the compliment, Chan putting his arm around Changbin humbly, rubbing his shoulder.

When they reached the front door, Changbin pulled a sparse set of keys out of his pocket, but before he placed them in the lock, he turned to Minho, “We’ll go in first. Join us whenever you feel like it.” He winked and Minho smirked, agreeing to his plan with Chan sounding just a little bit fondly exasperated in the background. Changbin must act like this often.

Once the door was opened, the other two went inside, leaving the door just slightly ajar for Minho. Soon after, the sound of Jisung’s voice travelled down the halls and Minho chuckled silently, “Finally, you’re back! You guys better not have scared him off.”

“He practically ran down the street to get away from us.” A noise of disapproval came after that could only be Jisung, “Why don’t you send him a text to check if he’s okay, hmm?” 

As the voices started getting further away, Minho silently crept inside, closing the door behind him before pressing himself against the wall.

“Oh, uhh, I don’t think I should, actually. You see—”

“Ji, we know you have his phone.” Chan was no longer able to fully hold his laughter in, “But seriously, what if he needs it?”

“If he needs it, he can come and get it. It’ll mean I get to see him again.” 

Minho shook his head fondly as he peered around the corner into the living room. Jisung had his back to him with his arms crossed. In the time that he’d been on his own, he’d changed out of his jeans, stripped off all his layers and was now just clad in sweatpants and a long sleeved t-shirt.

While Jisung excitedly showed Changbin Minho’s lockscreen (an aesthetic picture of three cats that he didn’t actually own but just thought were cute), Minho quietly crept up behind him, slinging his arm around Jisung’s shoulders casually, “Thanks, Jisungie, I was looking for that.” He said, plucking his phone out of Jisung’s frozen fingers.

Squeezing his eyes shut briefly, Jisung took a deep breath before turning to Minho, “Hey, uh, I thought you left?” He was smiling on the outside but on the inside he was dying of embarrassment, partly wishing the floor would open up so he could fall back to ground floor and run away...

“And _I_ thought you said you wanted to see me again.” Minho responded with a smug grin on his face. He stroked Jisung’s cheek softly with his thumb, eliciting a cute blush to form, “I got invited to stay for dinner — and to get my phone back.” One corner of his mouth tilted up.

“Sorry about that...I really didn’t mean to, I just forgot to give it back.” Jisung apologised, although he didn’t seem mad, and he truly was happy that he was there. Minho just told him not to worry, leaving a soft kiss on his forehead before he went to the kitchen to help Chan with dinner.

Jisung was stuck on the spot for a beat, staring at the ground with a shy smile on his face. Watching on with a fond expression, Changbin averted his eyes to set out the cutlery, and to give Jisung a moment to recover. 

——————

Dinner was called and Jisung sat down next to Changbin at the table as Minho and Chan placed the food in the centre. Everything looked absolutely delicious, Jisung’s mouth was almost watering. When the two cooks had sat down, all the food was portioned out and they were allowed to start. 

Minho was sitting just opposite Jisung, and that would be fine if it weren’t for him blatantly gazing at him while he ate. He looked up, catching him in the act at one point, but he didn’t even try to pretend he wasn’t staring. Minho would just send Jisung and warm smile each time, he’d look back down at his food, blushing, and the cycle would repeat.

Once dinner was over, Minho was the first up to help by taking the dirty plates out, telling Chan he should stay seated. Jisung followed him into the kitchen, carrying the rest of the plates, which was odd for the three roommates to witness because Jisung _never_ helped clean up. He’d be lying if he said it wasn’t just so he could stay by Minho’s side. Yes, it may sound a bit clingy but he couldn’t help it, he just felt drawn to Minho in some way.

The two of them worked together to tidy up, with Minho rinsing the plates and Jisung putting them in the dishwasher, it was twice as fast as normal. Jisung was getting into a rhythm, it was almost fun, in fact. So much so that he barely noticed when they’d finished, reaching out for the next plate when their were no more.

Instead, Minho took Jisung’s outstretched hand as an opportunity to just intertwine their fingers together. Jisung almost yelped in surprise at the feeling because _wow,_ Minho’s hands were just so unexpectedly soft. His own hands were starting to get a little clammy now but before he could think about it too much, Minho pulled him in, flush against his chest. Jisung was almost malfunctioning due to the distance (or lack thereof) between them, cheeks tinting pink as he stared up into Minho’s eyes with curiosity. 

Wordlessly, Minho started swaying his body to the song that came onto the radio and Jisung swiftly followed his rhythm, draping his arms around his neck. At that point, the rest of the world melted away. It was just them, in that kitchen, dancing. Nothing else.

All Jisung’s mind was processing was Minho; the smell of Minho’s cologne, his hands placed so delicately on his waist, ever-blinking eyes focused only on him. It all felt so surreal. As if Jisung was just witnessing some scene in a movie. And yet, even as the song on the radio came to an end, the moment they were having didn’t. The credits hadn’t started rolling, because this was far from over. 

“Jisungie.” Minho breathed out, finally breaking the silence between them. Jisung hummed, too dazed to form proper coherent sentences. It seemed Minho’s thoughts were losing track, too. He had Jisung’s complete attention — really, he always did — yet the words almost died on his lips.

Minho seemed to only focus again once Jisung had raised his hand to brush Minho’s hair off to the side, out of his eyes. A small smile grew on him and he took one more deep breath, “Jisung, I’m in love with you.”

Jisung froze, lips parting slightly. Their little slow dance slowed even further until they stood still again, “You...are in love...with _me_?” He couldn’t help the disbelief that bled into his tone. Honestly, he had started manually breathing since Minho had uttered the words and he’d accidentally started holding his breath.

There was a warm, and somewhat familiar look of fondness in Minho’s eyes, “I am.” He confirmed without hesitation, “I just wanted to tell you. You don’t have to say it back now...or ever if you don’t want to, but I thought—”

“I love you too.” 

Jisung had never made a decision quite so quickly in his entire life. Never been so sure of something as he was of the fact that he _loved Minho._ It may be completely crazy for this to be happening — most people would probably disapprove — but it all just felt so right. It was like the universe was pushing him to do this.

Slowly, Jisung slid his hand up Minho’s neck to cup his cheek gently. Minho practically leaned into his touch like a kitten and Jisung almost melted but, in a small burst of confidence, his eyes flicked to Minho’s lips, “Minho, can I kiss you?”

Minho seemed to grin at how forward Jisung was being for once, but still, there was a soft, pink tinge to his cheeks, “Of course, Jisungie.”

Leaning up to reach him, Minho tilted his head down slightly to meet Jisung in the middle. At first their lips only just grazed each other, still, it was enough to spark electricity through him. Jisung inhaled deeply before he closed his eyes and bridged the minuscule gap between them, his other hand coming up to tangle in Minho’s hair. 

Although Minho had been quite straightforward the whole time that he’d known him, he let Jisung take control of the kiss, following the pace that he’d set. His fingers curled under Jisung’s shirt, wrapping around his waist and holding him against him. Jisung could feel the warmth emanating off of him and it was just so nice and comforting. He felt safe in Minho’s arms.

Jisung couldn’t render how long they spent like that. Time just froze. But then again, it also flew past him in a blur of colours, as if infinity had passed him by in just a few seconds. At one point, Jisung pulled away, desperate for air like Minho had stolen it right out of his lungs. 

Opening his eyes when Minho’s forehead rested against his, Jisung smiled. Minho’s eyes were still closed, breath slightly ragged, and his cheeks were flushed. Truthfully, Jisung had never felt anything like this with anyone in the past. The way Minho still had his arms around him as if he was someone special almost made him tear up because of how happy he was.

Minho’s eyes fluttered open then, his gaze levelling with Jisung’s and for a few moments they just stared at each other, getting lost in the other’s eyes, “That was _really_ nice.” Minho finally said quietly. And Jisung was eager to show him that he agreed by leaning in for another kiss when a shout came from the other room.

“Guys! Can we come in the kitchen yet?” Changbin called out sounding just a little impatient. He was soon followed by a loud shushing from Chan, which made Jisung and Minho both giggle (and it was probably the most beautiful sound Jisung had ever heard). 

Grabbing Minho’s hands, Jisung pulled him towards the living room where Chan and Changbin were sitting watching a movie, “Guys, guess what!” Jisung was almost vibrating with how giddy he felt and when he looked over his shoulder at Minho, he seemed just the same, a wide grin okay his face.

Chan tapped his chin thoughtfully, “Did you both confess your love to each other then make out for, like, twenty minutes?” Chan guesses accurately and Jisung’s jaw dropped slightly, “Yeah, I accidentally walked in on you…it was very cute though. Now come watch the rest of this movie with us.

“Was it really twenty minutes…?” Jisung mumbled almost to himself. Before he received an answer, Changbin got a hold of his arm and pulled him down next to him on the couch. Minho, still being attached to his other hand consequently came tumbling down after him, fitting neatly into the space between him and Chan.

Once everyone was comfortable, they started the movie back up again. Jisung found it pretty easy to catch up on what he’d missed but he truthfully wasn’t that invested in it anyway, not with Minho rubbing small circles on the back of his hand with his thumb taking up most of his attention. 

He managed to make it through most of the movie, but at some point during the climax, Jisung’s eyelids started feeling heavy. Gravity caused him to slump into Changbin’s side. His head fit comfortably into the crook of his neck so it was only a few moments later when he fell asleep, a certain someone on his mind.

——————

As the movie went on, Minho didn’t cease the gentle stroking of Jisung’s hand, even after he’d drifted off. He’d fallen asleep with the softest of smiles on his face and Minho was far too enamoured by him to notice the subtle glances the other two people in the room were giving him. 

When the credits started rolling down the screen, Chan had to tap Minho on the shoulder to break him out of the trance he was in. His mouth made a little ‘o’ shape when he noticed the movie had ended but then he just looked back down at Jisung again. 

Changbin started carefully trying to remove himself from the situation and slide out from underneath Jisung. Minho placed his hand on Changbin’s knee to stop him from moving, “I’ll carry him to bed, hold on.” He whispered, not wanting to wake Jisung.

After a small amount of shuffling, Jisung was soon draped over Minho’s back as he piggybacked him to his room. Chan trailed behind him, hovering at the door as Minho gently rolled Jisung off his back into his bed, tucking the covers carefully around him so he wouldn’t get cold.

“Goodnight Jisungie, sleep well.” Minho whispered, softly brushing his cheek with his thumb. Small grumbles and incoherent mumbles came from him, among which Minho thought might have been the word _‘stay’._ He chuckled softly, reaching out and taking a hold of his hand, “I can’t, I gotta go. I’ll see you again soon though, yeah?”

Jisung’s hands tiredly tried to grasp Minho's shirt to pull him closer with a small grunt of disapproval, “I’ll text you tomorrow, don’t worry. If you fall asleep, you won’t even notice I’m not here.” Jisung must have been exhausted because with each word Minho said, he was showing less resistance and less movement altogether, _I love you_ , he thought before carefully pulling away.

As Minho left the room, he quietly pulled the door closed behind him. Chan had evidently zoned out a little in the meantime, it was as if he was trying to see through the walls. He snapped out of it once Minho thanked him for dinner and said he’d be on his way now. 

Chan smiled lightly as he showed him to the door, “Thank you for making him happy.” He said sincerely and Minho smiled, “Get home safe. And you’re welcome to come over any time by the way.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it. Now, have a good night, all of you.” Minho nodded his head politely as a way of farewell before making his way down the hall. Only once he reached the door to the stairwell did he hear Chan shut the door but he just shrugged and continued on out.

The air outside was crisp, not too chilly, though, in his opinion. So, in favour of a nice dose of fresh air, Minho took to strolling casually down the street, taking a short glance up at the stars in the cloudless sky as he went. He wasn’t in any rush after all.

——————

Morning came sooner than Jisung would’ve liked. He couldn’t remember if anything was planned for today — he definitely didn’t have a class till the next day — but if so, Chan would surely come and wake him. So, with a small stretch, Jisung just rolled onto his other side and latched on to the person his arms came in contact with. 

_Ah, so Minho did end up staying_. His mouth curled into a small smirk as he tilted his head up to catch his lips on the other’s for a lazy morning kiss. Things didn’t exactly go to plan, though, when a hand was clamped over Jisung’s mouth and a voice that definitely wasn’t Minho’s spoke up.

“Jisung…keep your kisses for Minho please.” Drowsily, Jisung lifted his eyelids to a squint, and sure enough, Chan was the one laying on the other side of his bed. He would have laughed at the situation, Chan’s tone held that teasing lilt he was so used to hearing, but his eyes were so somber.

Jisung pulled him in closer, with Chan naturally settling his head in the crook of his neck. He didn’t need to ask why Chan was there, he knew, “How many was it this time?” Jisung tried to soothe Chan’s nerves and fidgeting by gently rubbing small circles on his arm with his thumb. 

“Five, all last night.” Chan breathed out, voice cracking slightly in the middle. It was the sad truth they were living in at the moment. Waking up each morning just to see more people had been killed in the night… The five from last night made the total nine now — in just three days.

Chan was pretending to stay strong, Jisung could tell. He still kept a smile plastered on his face, still looked after and joked around with Changbin and him. But what he tried to hide away told him multitudes of what he was really feeling. He’d started staying up listening to the radio, or having the news on, just waiting for any updates. Then by the morning, after the inevitable news had come, he’d slip into one of their beds, not being able to face sleeping alone anymore. 

Jisung wished he could help him, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to approach it. For now, he was just being as mindful as he could; texting Chan when he was going out and when he wasn’t on his way home, always making sure his arms were open if he needed comfort or support. He just wished Chan wouldn’t feel afraid to talk about it.

“Chan, I’m here for you, you’ll always have me to lean on.” He spoke calmly, just telling him as a reminder, “You know that right?”

“I know.” Chan whispered, his grip around Jisung tightened ever-so-slightly, “Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this was my first time posting a chaptered fic so I hope you like the chapter one because I’ve been working on the idea for a couple of months now and I’m quite excited to share it.
> 
> This story won’t have regular updates but I’ll try and not let it sit for too long.
> 
> Of course, I’d really appreciate any kudos and comments you have as they feed my self-esteem.
> 
> Have a wonderful day everyone! Until next time! <3


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